A living testament to the power of self-determination and building sustained political engagement, Angie Nixon has been clear about her assignment. While many only learned of her through her amazing primary victory in August, those of us who have followed Nixon’s trajectory are not surprised.
A mother, organizer, small business owner, and justice fighter, she has been clear about her assignment for her native Jacksonville and Florida. Speaking with NewsOne in 2021, as a freshman lawmaker, she spoke about the need to fight fast-tracked bills threatening Black and Brown lives.
“We deserve to flourish,” Nixon said. “We deserve to rest. It’s what our ancestors always wanted.”
She comes from a proud Black progressive organizing tradition in Florida that national conversations about the Sunshine State have often overlooked and dismissed. Their voices and insights have often been sidelined within the party apparatus in favor of milquetoast middle-of-the-road approaches that have kept Florida locked under Republican control.
In fact, anyone who sees the murders of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis as a part of their political awakening owes a debt of gratitude to Black progressive organizers in Florida who have been steady on the beat from day one. That’s the backdrop within which Nixon has organized and engaged long before she dared to set out across the state.
Unlike entitled elites crowned by party insiders, Nixon had conversations and listened to people to learn their needs before deciding to run. Fed up with the status quo and people not getting the leadership they deserved, she stepped up and defied it.
To be clear, Nixon has never been someone who waits or asks for a seat at the table. She built her own table and painted it pink.
And that’s who she has always been: someone who builds and then invites others to join her. I’ve watched her for over 10 years, carving out her own path and making sure it was wide enough for others to follow or walk alongside her.
And that’s what she did: build a statewide campaign without the infrastructure and support of a party too stubborn to read the tea leaves. She closed the gap significantly as compared to the 2022 midterms and arguably inspired people to action in several high-stakes down-ballot races.
Black women are the blueprint for progressive power-building
And Nixon’s story isn’t unique. Across the country, notably in the South, we see Black progressive candidates left alone and underresourced.
Another sister, friend Amanda Hollowell ran an amazing campaign in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District despite very little financial support or media attention. She did better than any prior candidate in the open seat to replace Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter.
Outspent by a nepo baby running on his daddy’s name, a former member of Congress, Hollowell improved Democratic vote share, setting the stage for a 2028 matchup if she chooses. Like Angie, I’ve watched Hollowell answer the call and always show up.
Both women come from a lineage that is Black and proud, and committed to fighting for the basic needs and dignity of working people. And what I love most about these two women is their determination and persistence to do what it takes for our communities.
We can’t let people tell us what is good enough to win when our communities’ and families’ lives are at stake. The traditional notions of candidate viability are built on inherently racist and gendered assumptions that count out strong champions. We took this on in 2018, when several transformative Black and other women of color candidates stepped up to run for office.
That logic left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez relatively unsupported as a first-time candidate until we pushed for her endorsement at Democracy For America. Many of the same people who supported Rep. Ayanna Pressley in earlier campaigns shunned her during her initial run for Congress in 2018. Both women dared to challenge older white male incumbents and forged a friendship and sisterhood that carried them to victory in 2018 and beyond.
Many were pleasantly surprised when both won, but I wasn’t. As a staffer on DFA’s electoral endorsement team and someone who mapped and tracked progressive politics, I knew which way the wind was blowing.
Our politics must be grounded in self-determination and principled stances
If you’re in the room, don’t sit silent when good candidates get passed over. In my first two weeks on the job, I pushed in two different endorsement meetings until we finally endorsed Ocasio-Cortez. It aligned with our values, and it was the right thing to do.
During the 2018 cycle, Rep. Summer Lee also emerged as a first-time candidate for state house who was summarily dismissed by many. Each time she ran, the Howard Law graduate faced an establishment-backed candidate, despite the prior practice of not challenging incumbents.
In her 2022 campaign for Congress, Lee defeated not only her opponent but a multimillion-dollar AIPAC-backed expenditure. She did it on the strength of community and a value alignment that spoke directly to people’s needs.
I reflect on these three women because, like Angie, before they were viral sensations and national darlings, they showed what it means to build political power centered on the people. At the heart of all of this, we’re talking about collective organizing and self-determination toward purposeful governance. It’s not enough to check on your strong friend or know they can handle it; we have to speak up and stand with them for the long haul.
Even with historic victories on Tuesday, and the marvel that is Mississippi and Scott Colom still unfolding, Black progressive candidates have a steep climb to victory. In an ecosystem that erases us on all sides and will work with special interests to stifle our voices, it takes more than strength, courage, and wisdom to win.
Undoing generational corruption and political trauma takes all of us. It takes our time, treasure, and talents. It means setting aside the crabs in the barrel, petty Facebook politics, and doing the work. And it also requires Harriet Tubman-level discernment because not everyone is gonna be able to go with us.
Whether it’s Angie Nixon in Florida, Amanda Holl0well in Southeast Georgia, or Scott Colom in Mississippi, we need to stand with the folks who show up 365/24/7 and stand 10 toes down with us always. We can’t move on just because the cycle does. We need to cobble together the coins, build our own infrastructure, and dig in for the long haul. A win for these candidates willing to step up and accept the charge of federal office is a win for all of us. We need them to move our agenda and policies from the group chat into reality.
SEE ALSO:
Florida Politics Embody How Black People Are Not A Monolith [Op-Ed]
Progressive Wins Senate Nom And More From The Florida Primary
